Small-sized hand-operated rotatable toothbrush

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a hand-operated rotatable toothbrush in which toothbrush bristles are mounted on a toothbrush body and which is rotatable by a hand. The hand-operated rotatable toothbrush includes: a toothbrush body including a toothbrush head configured to have a hollow toothbrush bristle accommodation portion; and a toothbrush bristle body including a toothbrush bristle base configured to have a fastening means M formed along the center of the side surface of the toothbrush bristle base in a circumferential direction. A fastening means configured to engage with the fastening means of the toothbrush bristle base is formed along the center of the side surface of the inside of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion in a circumferential direction. An elongated groove is formed to extend downward from the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion toward a toothbrush neck in order to ensure a space for the attachment and detachment of toothbrush bristles.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a hand-operated rotatabletoothbrush which is designed in a small size for an infant or a personwho cannot use a large-sized toothbrush, and more specifically to ahand-operated rotatable toothbrush which is capable of significantlyreducing the size of a toothbrush, particularly the size of the head ofa toothbrush on which toothbrush bristles are planted.

2. Description of the Related Art

A typical toothbrush is configured such that toothbrush bristles arefastened onto the head of the toothbrush. Accordingly, there is nomethod capable of moving the toothbrush bristles a lot while slightlymoving a toothbrush body, and thus a hand and a wrist are used a lotduring tooth brushing.

An electric toothbrush is configured to brush teeth by means of anelectric motor. When a toothbrush body is placed at an appropriatelocation, toothbrush bristles brush teeth while being automaticallyrotated, and thus it is not necessary to use a hand and a wrist a lot.Accordingly, an electric toothbrush is convenient in a case where it isnecessary to easily brush teeth, such as a case where an arm or handcannot be freely moved, a case where complex braces have been attachedto teeth, or the like. However, an electric toothbrush requires thatelectronic parts, such as a battery, a motor, etc., need to be mountedon a toothbrush, and thus the price of the electric toothbrush isexpensive. Furthermore, when moisture permeates the electric toothbrush,the electric toothbrush breaks down, and thus the management of theelectric toothbrush is cumbersome.

A hand-operated rotatable toothbrush has an intermediate form between atypical toothbrush and an electric toothbrush. In the case where a userbrushes his or her teeth while moving toothbrush bristles in a circularform, when the user places a toothbrush body on teeth and pushes it ashe or her rotates it, the toothbrush body is rarely moved, andtoothbrush bristles are rotated, thereby enabling gaps between teeth andbetween teeth and gums to be desirably cleaned. For the Fones brushingtechnique of brushing teeth in a circular form while occluding upperteeth and lower teeth, which is recommended as a correct tooth brushingmethod, the use of a hand-operated rotatable toothbrush is effective.Furthermore, a hand-operated rotatable toothbrush is manually operated,and thus electronic parts, such as a battery, a motor, etc. are notrequired. Accordingly, the use of the hand-operated rotatable toothbrushis convenient, and the price of the hand-operated rotatable toothbrushis relatively inexpensive.

Korean Patent Nos. 10-1464244 and 10-1697536 issued to the presentapplicant disclose such hand-operated rotatable toothbrushes. Since sucha hand-operated rotatable toothbrush requires that toothbrush bristlesare rotated separately from a toothbrush body, separate toothbrushbristles are rotatably mounted on a toothbrush head. Meanwhile, thetoothbrushes disclosed in the above patents are configured such that twosets of toothbrush bristles are mounted on each of the toothbrushes anda portion where toothbrush bristles and a toothbrush head are coupled toeach other is formed in a height direction rather than thecircumferential direction of a toothbrush bristle base. Accordingly, thelength and thickness of the toothbrush head are long and large, and thusit is difficult to apply these toothbrushes in the case where it isnecessary to use a small toothbrush.

SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a hand-operatedrotatable toothbrush which is capable of significantly reducing the sizeof a toothbrush, particularly the thickness of the head of a toothbrush,so that it can be used in a case where a small-sized toothbrush isrequired, such as a case where it is difficult to open a mouth wide dueto a small mouth or a particular situation in an oral cavity, as in thecase of an infant.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hand-operatedrotatable toothbrush which is convenient when a person brushes the teethof another person.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided ahand-operated rotatable toothbrush in which toothbrush bristles aremounted on a toothbrush body and which is rotatable by a hand, thehand-operated rotatable toothbrush including: a toothbrush bodyincluding a toothbrush head configured to have a hollow toothbrushbristle accommodation portion; and a toothbrush bristle body including atoothbrush bristle base configured to have a fastening means formedalong the center of the side surface of the toothbrush bristle base in acircumferential direction; wherein a fastening means configured toengage with the fastening means of the toothbrush bristle base is formedalong the center of the side surface of the inside of the toothbrushbristle accommodation portion in a circumferential direction; andwherein an elongated groove is formed to extend downward from thetoothbrush bristle accommodation portion toward a toothbrush neck inorder to ensure a space for the attachment and detachment of toothbrushbristles.

The fastening means of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion maybe a coupling protrusion, and the fastening means of the toothbrushbristle base may be a coupling groove.

The fastening means of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion maybe a coupling groove, and the fastening means of the toothbrush bristlebase may be a coupling protrusion.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided ahand-operated rotatable toothbrush in which toothbrush bristles aremounted on a toothbrush body and which is rotatable by a hand, thehand-operated rotatable toothbrush including: a toothbrush bodyincluding a toothbrush head configured to have a hollow toothbrushbristle accommodation portion so that toothbrush bristles are mounted ina direction identical to that of the toothbrush body in order to enablea person to conveniently brush the teeth of another human; and atoothbrush bristle body including a fastening means formed along thecenter of the side surface of a toothbrush bristle base in acircumferential direction; wherein a fastening means configured toengage with the fastening means of the toothbrush bristle base is formedalong the center of the side surface of the inside of the toothbrushbristle accommodation portion in a circumferential direction; andwherein a part of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion is cutout and an elongated groove is formed through a toothbrush neck in orderto ensure a space for the attachment and detachment of toothbrushbristles.

The fastening means of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion andthe fastening means of the toothbrush bristle base may be a couplingprotrusion and a coupling groove, or a coupling groove and a couplingprotrusion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more clearly understood from the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a toothbrush according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a toothbrush according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view showing an assembled toothbrushaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a back perspective view showing the assembled toothbrushaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing a state in which toothbrushbristles are coupled into a toothbrush body according to still anotherembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a back perspective view showing the state in which thetoothbrush bristles are coupled into the toothbrush body according tothe still another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is intended for a small-sized toothbrush, and thusthe following description will be given with a focus on a configurationon which a single circular toothbrush bristle body rotatable around 360degrees is mounted. However, it will be apparent that the configurationof the present invention may be applied to a general size toothbrush,for example, a toothbrush on which two toothbrush bristle bodies aremounted.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a toothbrush according toan embodiment of the present invention. A toothbrush bristle body 10refers to a part which is formed by setting toothbrush bristles 11 intoa toothbrush bristle base 12. A coupling groove 13 is formed along thecenter of the side surface of the toothbrush bristle base 12 in acircumferential direction. A toothbrush body 100 includes a toothbrushhead 110, a toothbrush neck 120, and a toothbrush grip 130. Thetoothbrush head 110 includes a hollow toothbrush bristle accommodationportion 111 in order to accommodate rotatable toothbrush bristles. Acoupling protrusion 112 is formed along the center of the side surfaceof the inside of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion 111 in acircumferential direction, and thus engages with the coupling groove ofthe toothbrush bristle base 12. The toothbrush bristle accommodationportion 111 has an elongated groove which extends downward toward thetoothbrush neck. The elongated groove 121 of the toothbrush bristleaccommodation portion 111 provides a clearance space for attachment anddetachment by slightly spreading the toothbrush head when the toothbrushbristles are selectively attached and detached. Although the toothbrushbody is made of a rigid plastic synthetic material, a portion throughwhich the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion 111 and the elongatedgroove 121 extend is slender. Accordingly, when the toothbrush bristlesare mounted, a portion between the toothbrush bristle accommodationportion and the elongated groove is spread through pushing by a hand,and thus the toothbrush bristles are smoothly mounted.

FIG. 2 shows a toothbrush in which a coupling groove 112′ is formed on atoothbrush bristle accommodation portion 111 and a coupling protrusion13′ is formed on a toothbrush bristle base 12, unlike in the couplingmethod of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are front and back perspective views showing a state inwhich toothbrush bristles have been mounted. One toothbrush bristle bodyis mounted, and thus the length of the toothbrush head is reduced.Furthermore, the coupling between the toothbrush bristles and thetoothbrush body is performed on a side surface of the toothbrush bristlebase, and thus the thickness of the toothbrush bristle base is reducedby half or more of that of a conventional toothbrush.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are front and back perspective views showing a state inwhich toothbrush bristles are coupled into a toothbrush body accordingto still another embodiment of the present invention. This toothbrush isintended to provide the convenience of use when a parent or guardianbrushes the teeth of another person. When a user directly brushes his orher teeth, it is convenient for the direction of toothbrush bristles tobe perpendicular to the direction of a toothbrush body. When a userbrushes the teeth of another person, it is convenient for the directionof toothbrush bristles to be the same as that of a toothbrush body. Thetoothbrush bristle body of FIG. 5 has the same structure as thetoothbrush bristle bodies of FIGS. 1 and 2, and the toothbrush head 210and toothbrush neck 220 of a toothbrush body 200 are integrated into asingle cylinder. The toothbrush head 210 includes a hollow toothbrushbristle accommodation portion 211 configured to accommodate toothbrushbristles. The toothbrush bristle accommodation portion 211 does not havea closed structure, but a part of the toothbrush bristle accommodationportion 211 is cut out in a circumferential direction in order to allowthe toothbrush bristle accommodation portion 211 to be spread. Thiscutout portion of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion 211extends to the elongated groove 221 of the toothbrush neck 220. In thecase of this toothbrush, the toothbrush neck 220 is short, and thus itis difficult to form an elongated groove along the length of thetoothbrush neck 220. Accordingly, it is preferable to form an elongatedgroove in a circumferential direction. Furthermore, a couplingprotrusion is formed along the center of the inside of the toothbrushbristle accommodation portion 211 in a circumferential direction, andengages with the coupling groove of a toothbrush bristle base. Incontrast, a coupling groove may be formed on the toothbrush bristleaccommodation portion 211, and a coupling protrusion may be formed onthe toothbrush bristle base. In this case, although a toothbrush body ismade of a rigid material, the part of the toothbrush bristleaccommodation portion is cut out, and the elongated groove is formed.Accordingly, when toothbrush bristles are mounted, the toothbrush bodyis spread through pushing by a hand, and thus the toothbrush bristlesare smoothly mounted.

According to the present invention, the size of the toothbrush head,particularly the thickness of the toothbrush head, is significantlyreduced, and thus an effect can be achieved in that the toothbrush canbe conveniently used when an infant or a person who cannot open his orher mouth wide due to a poor situation in an oral cavity directlybrushes his or her teeth or when a guardian brushes the teeth of anotherperson.

Although the specific embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art willappreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions arepossible without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention asdisclosed in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hand-operated rotatable toothbrush in whichtoothbrush bristles are mounted on a toothbrush body and which isrotatable by a hand, the hand-operated rotatable toothbrush comprising:a toothbrush body including a toothbrush head configured to have ahollow toothbrush bristle accommodation portion; and a toothbrushbristle body including a toothbrush bristle base configured to have afastening means formed along a center of a side surface of thetoothbrush bristle base in a circumferential direction; wherein afastening means configured to engage with the fastening means of thetoothbrush bristle base is formed along a center of a side surface of aninside of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion in acircumferential direction; and wherein an elongated groove is formed toextend downward from the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion towarda toothbrush neck in order to ensure a space for attachment anddetachment of toothbrush bristles.
 2. The hand-operated rotatabletoothbrush of claim 1, wherein the fastening means of the toothbrushbristle accommodation portion is a coupling protrusion, and thefastening means of the toothbrush bristle base is a coupling groove. 3.The hand-operated rotatable toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the fasteningmeans of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion is a couplinggroove, and the fastening means of the toothbrush bristle base is acoupling protrusion.
 4. A hand-operated rotatable toothbrush in whichtoothbrush bristles are mounted on a toothbrush body and which isrotatable by a hand, the hand-operated rotatable toothbrush comprising:a toothbrush body including a toothbrush head configured to have ahollow toothbrush bristle accommodation portion so that toothbrushbristles are mounted in a direction identical to that of the toothbrushbody in order to enable a person to conveniently brush teeth of anotherhuman; and a toothbrush bristle body including a fastening means formedalong a center of a side surface of a toothbrush bristle base in acircumferential direction; wherein a fastening means configured toengage with the fastening means of the toothbrush bristle base is formedalong a center of a side surface of an inside of the toothbrush bristleaccommodation portion in a circumferential direction; and wherein a partof the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion is cut out and anelongated groove is formed through a toothbrush neck in order to ensurea space for attachment and detachment of toothbrush bristles.
 5. Thehand-operated rotatable toothbrush of claim 4, wherein the fasteningmeans of the toothbrush bristle accommodation portion and the fasteningmeans of the toothbrush bristle base are a coupling protrusion and a Mcoupling groove, or a coupling groove and a coupling protrusion.